Vehicle mounted bale pick-up and feeder

ABSTRACT

An L-shaped platform ( 11 ) having a vertical bale gripping frame ( 12 ) and a horizontal bale support deck ( 13 ) is mounted on a transport vehicle for rotation through 90° from a transport position to a bale pick-up position. In the pick-up position, tines ( 17 ) on the gripping frame ( 12 ) engage the top of the bale (B) and hold the bale (B) with the support deck ( 13 ) in contact with an adjacent side surface. The platform ( 11 ) is rotated to return to the transport position with the bale (B) being supported by the support deck ( 13 ). The support deck ( 13 ) includes a cross conveyor ( 21 ) for discharging the bale (B) laterally for stock feeding.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is the National Stage Entry of my PCTapplication No. PCT/US03/08870, filed Mar. 21, 2003, claiming priorityfrom my U.S. Provisional application No. 60/367,538, filed Mar. 22,2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to handling of bales of bulk material suchas hay or silage and includes the pick-up and loading of such bales ontoto a vehicle mounted platform or deck with subsequent break-up anddischarge of the bulk material for animal feeding. Although notrestricted to any particular bale size, the invention is especiallypertinent to the handling of extremely large bales of the type describedwhich are too heavy to be handled manually and, in particular, largerectangular cross section hay bales. A generally L-shaped platformincludes a bale engaging and lifting frame means for engaging one sideof a rectangular bale and a conveyor mechanism for engaging an adjacentside for supporting the bale when moved to the loaded position of theplatform and subsequent bale discharge.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In recent years the trend in preserving hay bales has been towardincreasingly large size bales, far beyond the ability for manualhandling. Although large round bales, several feet in diameter, havebeen developed and equipment has been designed either to simply unrollthe layered bale and/or perform a chopping operation for pasture orrange feeding, the results have not been entirely satisfactory. Morerecently, the trend has been toward the formation of large rectangularor square cross section bales for more ease of transport and stacking.Equipment has been developed such as disclosed in my co-pending U.S.patent applications Ser. No. 09/370,359, Vehicle Mounted Large BaleLoading, Transporting And Unloading System, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,520B12, issued Dec. 11, 2001 and Serial No. 09/721599, Loading GrappleTable, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,464, issued Apr. 1, 2003 for loading,transporting and unloading bales of this type to either form stacks ofmultiple bales or to transport multiple large bales and to distribute orunload individual bales for pasture, range or bunk feeding. Theequipment for accomplishing this task is designed essentially of largecapacity and complexity for handling the shear weight and size of themultiple large bales. The need has arisen for single bale pick-up,transport and feeding functions for small farms utilizing smaller sizedexisting equipment such as tractors, trailers and small trucks.

SUMMARY

The present invention contemplates a generally L-shaped platform havingan upright bale gripping frame structure and a generally horizontal deckor support surface. The platform engages a square or rectangular crosssection bale while in a ground or platform supported position and liftsit to an above-ground elevated position for break-up and dispensing asthe vehicle moves. The broken bale material may be deposited on theground or other surface suitable for feeding animals. The L-shapedplatform is adapted to be mounted on a wide variety of transportvehicles such as on a suitable three-point tractor hitch system, eitherin the front or rear end of Category I, II and III existing tractorhitches; on the rear end of small vehicles such as pick-up trucks, or;on wheeled trailers and the like. The L-shaped frame is carried on thevehicle in a transport position with the gripping frame extendinggenerally vertically and the bale support deck at right angles thereto,extending generally horizontally.

In the preferred embodiment, the gripping frame is equipped withmultiple bale engaging grapple hooks or other bale engaging mechanismsfor grasping and lifting a bale from the ground and the deck or balesupport section is equipped with conveyor means for moving the loadedbale transversely of the platform to dispense the broken bale to oneside of the moving vehicle. The platform is pivoted between thetransport position and a pick-up position with the gripping frameextending generally horizontally and the grapple means engaging the topand/or sides of the bale. In this position, the conveyor on the supportdeck engages an adjacent side of the bale. A single bale is thusgripped, pivoted through an approximate 90° angle and transported andunloaded.

In one embodiment, suitable for category I three point hitches of smallfarm tractors, the pivoting platform may be equipped with groundengaging wheels which pivot with the platform and engage the ground foradditional support when the platform is in the transport position. Withthis modification, small tractors are capable of transporting largebales which otherwise exceed the lift capacity of the three point hitchsystem of the tractor. In the alternative the pivoting platform may becarried on a separate wheeled trailer for support, the trailer beingpulled by a tractor or other tow vehicle. With this equipment, theutilization of large rectangular bales in small farm operations, such ashorse farms and the like, becomes practical. In addition to the crossconveyor on the platform deck, cut-off devices for insuring the break upof the bale as it is dispensed may be mounted as part of the pivotingplatform. Such cut-off devices may comprise small sickle bars, rotatingarm structures or even ram shears such as illustrated in my co-pendingapplication Ser. No. 09/370,359. Although the cut bale will normallybreak in natural “flakes” as the bale is advanced over the side of theconveyor, such conditions as freezing weather may require the use of acut-off device to aid in breaking the bale apart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the bale engaging platform in itstransport position as mounted on a large category II or III tractorthree point hitch;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the bale engaging platform pivotedtoward the pick-up position;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the bale engaging platform designedfor use with a category I small tractor three point hitch and includingsupport wheels;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the bale engaging platform of FIG.3 in its fully pivoted bale pick-up position;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the bale engagingplatform adapted for mounting on a truck bed utilizing a ball hitch;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of still another embodiment of thebale engaging platform adapted for mounting on the bucket of a tractorfront-end loader;

FIG. 7 is a perspective schematic view illustrating the placement of thebale transport conveyor on the support deck and grapple hooks on thegripping frame of the platform;

FIG. 8 is a perspective schematic view showing the use of thepivoted-bar cut-off device for assisting the breaking up of the bale asit moves over the end of the cross conveyor;

FIG. 9 is a perspective schematic view of the placement of a sickle bardevice for assisting in the breaking up of the bale;

FIGS. 10–12 are schematic illustrations of the sequence of positions ofthe bale engaging platform with support wheels during pick-up andtransport;

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of the bale engaging platform in thepick-up position as mounted on the front end of a large tractor;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 13 with the bale engagingplatform mounted on the three point hitch of the rear end of a largetractor; and

FIG. 15 is schematic illustration of the bale engaging platform mountedon the ball hitch of a pick-up truck.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the bale engaging pick-up and support platformsystem as mounted on a transport vehicle, in this case, the three pointhitch of a tractor of the size and capacity capable of supporting theplatform mechanism as well as a large rectangular cross section bale.Although the weight and dimensions of individual larger bales will vary,the larger bales may have a cross section of up to 4×4 feet and a lengthin the neighborhood of 8 feet with a weight in the range of 1000–2000pounds per bale. The illustrated system includes a frame generallyindicated at 1 designed to be connected to the three point hitch of thetractor. The frame 1 includes a mast frame 2 with a suitable clevis forpivotal attachment to the upper arm 3 of the tractor hitch at the pivotpoint 4. The lower end of the mast 2 is provided with stub shafts 6 forpivotal connection to the lower laterally spaced lift arms 7 of thetractor three point hitch. The mast frame structure and its connectionto the tractor three point hitch is a well known standard arrangementand allows the pick-up and transfer platform to be adjusted for verticalelevation. It will be understood of course that the details of the maststructure 2 and its connection to the three point hitch of the tractormay be varied without departing from the present invention.

Horizontal support structures 8 are rigidly connected at their innerends to the mast structure 2 and extend outwardly therefrom at rightangles. The structures 8 may be braced for vertical support by thebraces 9 so as to form a rigid shelf or base support frame forsupporting the pivoted pick-up and support platform. It will beunderstood that the members 8 and 9 may be connected by any suitablebracing structures in order to provide the support shelf. The L-shapedplatform is schematically illustrated and indicated generally at 11 inFIGS. 1 and 2. The platform 11 includes the vertical grapple frame 12and the conveyor deck 13 which may be constructed of any desiredarrangement of frame members either welded or otherwise rigidly attachedto form the platform which is pivoted to the forwardly extending supportshelf at its outer end by means of a suitable bracket 14 as at 16. Itwill be understood that a sufficient number of brackets 14 will beprovided along the length of the conveyor deck 13 in order to adequatelysupport and pivot the loaded platform.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 7 illustrate a typical grapple hook arrangement forplacing the grapple frame in lifting engagement with a hay bale when theplatform is in the bale pick-up position as will be presently described.A plurality of grapple hooks 17 may be carried on a rotatable actuatorshaft 18 with the shaft 18 being rotated by a suitable motor 19 mountedon the frame member 12. It will be understood, of course, that anysuitable motor means, such as hydraulic, pneumatic or electric, may beused to actuate the grapple hooks. The grapple hooks or tines 17 andtheir mode of mounting and operation are well known in the art and maybe of any chosen type including those illustrated in my co-pendingpatent applications Ser. Nos. 09/370,359 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,520 B1,issued Dec. 11, 2001 and 09/721,599, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,464, issuedApr. 1, 2003. Although FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the use of two grapplehooks on the operating shaft 18, it will be understood that each side ofthe grapple frame 12 will include identical grapple hook structures forengaging the ends or midsection of the bale to be lifted. FIG. 2illustrates the expedient of using an extended shaft 18 shown in dottedlines to increase the number of grapple hooks on each end of the frame.Likewise FIG. 7 illustrates the use of twelve such grapple hooks whichextend through the grapple frame 12, shown schematically, and arewithdrawn to a position away from the bale once it is loaded. The numberand placement of grapple hooks will depend upon the size of the largerectangular bale to be lifted. In any event, the grapple hooks willpenetrate the ends of the bale and/or the midsection of the top surfaceof the bale when the platform is in the pick-up position. It is alsounderstood to be within the scope of the present invention to substituteother know types of bale gripping means for the hooks 17.

The conveyor deck 13 is also shown in detail in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7 and mayinclude any of several types of available conveyors such as chain, belt,pusher plate or the like. The conveyor serves to move the bale acrossthe surface of the conveyor deck 13 to discharge the bale to one side ofthe tractor as it moves once the bale ties have been cut. The particularconveyor assembly 21 illustrated is of the endless chain type includingtwo laterally space chains 22 and 23. The chains 22 and 23 may be drivenby any suitable motor means such as a hydraulic motor 24 or itsequivalent for powering a drive shaft 26. The drive shaft 26 will beconnected to drive the chain through suitable sprockets 27. Thecustomary flights 28 span the drive chains and contact the bottom of thebale to move the bale during unloading. Suitable controls (not shown)will enable the tractor operator to operate the various motors for theconveyor, the grapple hooks and the pivoting of the platform which ismoved between the bale loaded position and pick-up position by means ofthe hydraulic cylinder 29 which extends between the brace 9 and thebottom side of the conveyor deck 13 as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate only two of many possible cut-off devices thatcan be mounted to the discharge side of the platform 11 to aid inseparating layers or flakes of hay from the bale in the event suchassistance is required. As shown in FIG. 8, a rotatable arm or cut-offblade 31 is mounted on a rotatable shaft 32 for swinging motion undercontrol of a suitable motor means (not shown) to engage the protrudingend of the bale B as it is moved outwardly over the edge of the conveyor21. FIG. 9 shows an alternative form of cut-off means which includes awell known sickle bar assembly 33 which is moveable in a linear path asindicated by the arrow in FIG. 9 to engage the protruding end of thebale. The sickle bar 33 may be driven by any suitable means such as anhydraulic or electric motor assembly 34 with suitable means, such ashydraulic or pneumatic cylinder and track assembly 36. Reference may behad to my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/370,359 for thedetails of such an assembly.

FIG. 2 also illustrates the use of an extension plate 37 which may bepivotally attached to the front surface of the conveyor deck to extendthe deck for use with extremely large size bales. The plate 37 may besupported in place by means of braces or the like 38 extending betweenthe plate and the deck frame. It will be understood, of course, thatsimilar extension plates may be utilized on the opposite ends of theconveyor deck to accommodate extremely long bales, as shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate the use of the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiment ofthe L-shaped platform on both the front end and the rear end of a largesize tractor. As seen in FIG. 13 the platform is pivoted to the baleengaging position with the grapple hooks 17 in position above the topsurface of the bale B and the conveyor deck 21 in engagement with theadjacent side surface of the bale. The grapple hooks 17 are thenactuated to engage the bale as shown in FIG. 14 and the bale is heldagainst the platform as the platform is rotated through itsapproximately 90° arc to the transport position. When it is desired tounload and distribute the hay from the bale, the bale ties are cut andthe conveyor assembly 21 is actuated to slowly or incrementally feed thebale over the side of the conveyor deck to allow the bale to separateand fall to the ground as the tractor moves forward. As previouslydescribed, a cut-off device may be installed on the platform to aid inbreaking the bale apart if such is necessary.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention whichadapts the pick-up and transport platform to be mounted on a small farmtractor which may not have the load carrying capacity to lift andsupport a large bale. Although such tractor lift mechanisms are capableof safely lifting the weight of the platform and bales weighing in theneighborhood of 500 pounds, additional support is required in thetransport position. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the three pointhitch attachment frame and mast 2, along with the horizontal supportstructures 8 and 9, may in all respects be identical to that describedin the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiment. Likewise, the L-shaped pick-up andtransport platform including the grapple frame 12 and conveyor deck 13may be identical to that previously described. In addition to thesestructures, provision is made for attachment of the ground supportwheels 39 beneath the conveyor deck 13 by means of suitable support arms41 and stub axle units 42. These structures may be connected to thegrapple frame and conveyor deck in any suitable manner within the skillof an artisan. With this arrangement, the ground wheels 39 will pivotalong with the platform so as to engage the ground beneath the platformwhen the platform is in the transport position.

FIGS. 10–12 illustrate the sequence of positions of the pick-up andtransport platform during the loading and transporting of a single largebale. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the platform is rotated to the pick-upposition and lowered to engage the bale with the conveyor deckcontacting the vertical surface of the bale and the grapple or balegripping frame in contact with the top or adjacent side of the bale. Inthis position, the grapple hooks 17 are rotated so as to engage the baleB as shown in FIG. 11. The platform is then rotated so as to lift thebale and simultaneously, the ground wheels 39 are caused to rotatedownwardly into contact with the ground to support the bale B in thetransport position shown in FIG. 12. The grapple hooks are thenretracted and the bale is ready for unloading by the conveyor 21.

FIG. 5 illustrates yet another embodiment of the pick-up and transportplatform designed for mounting on the bed of a trailer or small trucksuch as a pick-up truck, in this instance having a bed mounted ballhitch for normally receiving a goose-neck trailer tongue. The grappleframe 12 and conveyor deck assembly 13 may be identical to thatpreviously described, however, the platform is pivoted to the outboardend of an elongated frame structure 43 as at 44 shown in FIG. 15 forpivoting through the 90° angle necessary to engage and pick-up the baleB. The frame 43 includes an elongated beam or frame 46 which isconnected at its forward end to the goose-neck ball hitch 47 on thepick-up truck bed. The outboard end of the frame 46 includes a bumperengaging clamp 48 which engages the bumper 49 of the pick-up truck asshown in FIG. 15. With this arrangement, the structure 48 engages thebumper or other structure on the end of the truck bed and, once theforward end of the beam 46 is attached to the ball 47, the platform isrigidly mounted on the truck bed. A hydraulic ram 51 extends between thegrapple frame 12 and the forward end of the beam 46 to impart the 90°pivoting motion to the platform 11 as previously described.

FIG. 6 illustrates an adaptation wherein the L-shaped frame includingthe grapple frame 12 and conveyor deck 13 are rigidly attached directlyto the bucket 52 or other structure on the tractor front end loader. Theconventional hydraulic ram controlled bucket and loader assembly iscapable of pivoting the bucket and thus the L-shaped pick-up and supportplatform through a 90° angle and to raise and lower the platform so asto engage a bale resting on the ground in the manner previouslydescribed and to transport the bale to an unloading location.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been describedherein it is to be understood that the foregoing description andaccompanying drawings have been given by way of illustration andexample. Variations in design and arrangement of parts may be madewithout departure from the scope and spirit of the present invention.For example, electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic motor means or manualoperated means may be substituted for the various motors described or acombination of electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic motor means and manualoperation may be utilized to perform the various operations described.The present invention is not intended to be limited to any particulartype of motor vehicle, trailer or the conveyance. Changes in form of theseveral parts, substitution of equivalent elements and arrangement ofparts which will readily be apparent to one skilled in the art, are alsocontemplated as within the scope of the present invention.

1. Transport vehicle mounted apparatus for handling bales of bulkmaterial, comprising; a base support structure, mounting means formounting said base support structure on a transport vehicle, an L-shapedplatform including a bale gripping frame and a bale support deckextending at substantially right angles thereto, said gripping frameincluding a plurality of tine structures, each said tine structuresincluding a rotatable tine support shaft with bale engaging tines spacedtherealong and moveable between a retracted position and a bale engagingposition upon rotation of said shafts, motor means for selectivelyrotating said tine supporting shafts, said L-shaped platform beingmounted for pivotal movement on said base structure throughapproximately 90° between a transport position with said bale grippingframe extending substantially vertical and a bale pick-up position withthe bale gripping frame extending substantially horizontal, and platformpositioning means for moving said L-shaped platform between saidtransport position and said bale pick-up position, whereby said platformis moved to the bale pick-up position with the gripping frame in thehorizontal position to engage a top surface of a bale and with the balesupport deck in contact with an adjacent side thereof, said platform isthen moved through approximately 90° to the transport position with thebale being supported by the bale support deck.
 2. The apparatus of claim1 wherein said tine structures are spaced along the length of said baleengaging frame such that said tines are positioned to engage both theends and top surface of a bale to be picked-up.
 3. Transport vehiclemounted apparatus for handling bales of bulk material, comprising; abase support structure, mounting means for mounting said base supportstructure on a transport vehicle, an L-shaped platform including a balegripping frame and a bale support deck extending at substantially rightangles thereto, said L-shaped platform being mounted for pivotalmovement on said base structure through approximately 90° between atransport position with said bale gripping frame extending substantiallyvertical and a bale pick-up position with the bale gripping frameextending substantially horizontal, platform positioning means formoving said L-shaped platform between said transport position and saidbale pick-up position, said bale support deck including a materialconveyor extending transversely of the direction of travel of saidtransport vehicle, and selectively operable drive means for discharginga bale supported by said conveyor from the support deck, whereby saidplatform is moved to the bale pick-up position with the gripping meansin the horizontal position to engage a top surface of a bale and withthe bale support deck in contact with an adjacent side thereof, saidplatform is then moved through approximately 90° to the transportposition with the bale being supported by the bale support deck.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said bale support deck includes a materialconveyor extending transversely of the direction of travel of saidtransport vehicle, and selectively operable drive means for discharginga bale supported by said conveyor from the support deck.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4 wherein said base support structure comprises; abase frame including a horizontal section providing a pivotal connectionfor said L-shaped platform and a vertical mast section, said mastsection and said horizontal section providing connection points for thethree-point hitch system of a tractor vehicle, and said platformpositioning means includes ram means acting between said horizontalframe section and said L-shaped platform for pivoting the platformbetween the transport position and the bale pick-up position.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 5 including; support wheels connected to said balesupport deck, said support deck including a top side for mounting saidmaterial conveyor and a bottom side for connection to the supportwheels, said support wheels being so positioned as to bear at least aportion of the weight of a bale carried on said deck in the transportposition.
 7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said base supportstructure comprises; an elongated base frame member, means to securesaid base frame to a horizontal surface of a transport vehicle, and saidplatform positioning means includes ram means acting between saidelongated base frame member and said L-shaped platform for pivoting theplatform between the transport position and the bale pick-up position.8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said base support structurecomprises a pivotally mounted working unit carried by the front endloader apparatus of a tractor and having a portion thereof oriented formovement through at least 90° from the vertical to the horizontal, saidL-shaped platform being rigidly connected to said working unit forpivotal movement between the transport position and the bale pick-upposition.
 9. The apparatus of claim 4, including: bale cut-off mechanismcarried by said L-shaped platform adjacent the discharge end of saidmaterial conveyor, said cut-off mechanism having a separator forcontacting a bale being discharged to ensure incremental separationthereof during discharge, and motor means for selectively actuating saidcut-off mechanism to form spaced piles as the transport vehicle movesforward.
 10. A method for loading and transporting a bale of bulkmaterial, comprising; mounting an L-shaped bale support and pick-upplatform on a transport vehicle in a transport position with a balegripping frame thereon oriented generally vertical and a bale supportdeck thereon oriented generally horizontal, rotating said platform to abale pick-up position in a first direction through 90° to engage thegripping frame with a bale and the support deck in contact with a sidesurface thereof, actuating said gripping frame to secure the balethereto, rotating said platform in the opposite direction 90° to thetransport position, releasing said bale gripping frame from the bale,and supporting said bale on said bale support deck for transport. 11.The method of claim 10 including the steps of; engaging said grippingframe on opposite ends and the top surface of the bale, and contactingthe support deck with a surface of the bale adjacent the top surfacethereof.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said bale support deckincludes a bale conveyor, said method including the step of; operatingsaid bale conveyor to discharge the bale from said platform in a lateraldirection relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle duringforward travel.
 13. The method of claim 12 further including the stepof; separating the bale into discrete units during discharge from theconveyor to distribute the material during travel of the vehicle. 14.The method of claim 13 wherein said bale is separated during dischargeby contacting the bale with a cut-off device mounted on said platformadjacent said bale conveyor.